The Tasmanian Greens today confirmed that they will be moving to repeal the controversial Pulp Mill Assessment Act 2007 (PMAA) in this upcoming session of Parliament, saying that if successful this would mean the end to the Gunns’ proposed mill in the Tamar Valley.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that the Bill would provide the Liberal Party with the opportunity to make clear their position on the Gunns’ pulp mill, particularly whether they support any further public subsidisation, and to correct one of the worst decisions made by the House in recent times.
Mr McKim also said that that should the Greens’ repeal Bill prove successful it would restore Tasmanians’ faith in their democratic system, due process and respect for the parliament which was so badly eroded following the Labor and Liberal parties collusion at the time to ram through the PMAA in the dead of the night.
“I can confirm that when Parliament resumes this session the Greens will be tabling a Bill to repeal the Pulp Mill Assessment Act 2007, and we will bring it on for debate,” Mr McKim said.
“If successful, this will be the death-knell for the divisive and toxic Gunns Tamar Valley pulp mill.”
“The Gunns’ mill permits would be revoked, and it would also send a strong message to any potential financiers that there is no social licence for this project.”
“The PMAA was a dodgy process used to exempt this unacceptable project from standard planning and examination procedure, when it was clear that it would fail to get through the then-Resource Planning and Development Commission, and we will give both Labor and Liberal the opportunity to correct this shameful and undemocratic mistake of their making.”
“The free-ride for this private company’s smelly and toxic white elephant would come to an end with the passage of the Greens’ Bill.”
“If Gunns wished to proceed with their Tamar Valley proposal the onus would be on them to go back to the planning system, just as any other private developer is required to do. The project would live or die on its so-called merits, rather than be shielded by the rank favouritism that this dodgy piece of legislation provides.”
“The debate on our Bill will provide both Labor and Liberal parties with the opportunity to again join forces but this time to undo the gross wrong inflicted on the Parliament, the Tasmanian community, and particularly the residents of the Tamar Valley.”
“Now is the time for Mr Hodgman to state whether he is prepared to right this wrong on behalf of the Tasmanian community, or whether he will remain in his desperate avoidance mode, which his obsession for misconstruing other people’s statements indicates,” Mr McKim said.
Download: Greens Party Room’s April 2010 unanimous commitment on confidence, with caveats (apparently ignored by the Liberal Party), as reaffirmed yesterday, 5 March 2011. (1pg):
Mar6_Greens_Party_Room_April_2010_Resolution_N_McKim_ATTACH.pdf
SEARCH Foundation:MEDIA RELEASE Sunday 6 March 2011
At a meeting in Launceston today, convened by the Social Education and Research Concerning Humanity (SEARCH) Foundation, people from all parts of Tasmania representing a number of organisations concerned with environmental and social issues discussed the impact on Tasmania of extensive timber plantations and the proposed Tamar Valley pulp mill.
The meeting, chaired by Tim Thorne, Tasmanian convener of Now We the People, was addressed by SEARCH’s National Coordinator, Peter Murphy, Bob McMahon and Cr Karl Stevens of TAP and Charles Gilmour from Rocky Cape. A paper by public health campaigner, Dr Alison Bleaney of St Helens, was also read to the meeting.
The meeting looked at possible future courses of action, including:
Direct action where and when appropriate against the construction of the mill;
The promotion of alternatives to the manufacture of paper from trees and to monoculture plantations;
And the development of a program of reparation and quality management in order to restore and maintain Tasmanian land use sustainability.
The meeting decided to conduct an information tour by coach to the Tarkine in coming weeks.
Mike: We’re at the Long Reach site, setting out the banners. On the horizon you can see the Bell Bay ‘industrial area’.
Mike: These vineyards are 3Km away from the Long Reach site where the photo was taken. They are profitable and are not subsidised. It and its workers pay taxes.
The Bell Bay industrial area (7Km away, remember) is unprofitable and very heavily subsidised by the taxes paid, among others, by the vineyard.
Lara, with others we can name, once again has been badly advised and needs urgently to get real.
STOP THE PULP MILL!
Protesters spread out banner on proposed Pulp Mill site
About 40 protesters, from Launceston’s Community Opposing the Destruction of the Environment (CODE), walked into Gunns’ proposed Pulp Mill site at Long Reach today and spread out giant banners spelling ‘STOP THE PULP MILL!’ The action was to highlight the fact this is the wrong mill in the wrong place, and Gunns’ will never obtain a social license from our community for this pulp mill.
Group spokesperson Dr Searle said, “There is still massive community opposition to this pulp mill, and Tony Burke has kept information from the public and has not given the community adequate opportunity to comment on the environmental assessment process from the very beginning. Gunns’ proposed pulp mill is planned to be the third biggest pulp mill in the world and for something like this to be placed in such a beautiful and fragile place as Tasmania is completely unacceptable. We will continue to oppose the pulp mill. Gunns and the state and federal government need to acknowledge the concerns of the community and understand that we will not go away. There will never be a social license for this pulp mill”.
Jon Bryan from the Tasmanian Conservation Trust was briefed by Gunns on mill developments last week. “It looks like changes have been made to the mill process but we remained convinced that this proposed pulp mill is not appropriate for the Tamar Valley. Bass Strait is home to seals and dolphins and other wonderful marine life, as well as important recreational and commercial fisheries. These must be protected. With the proposal to dump 64 000 tonnes of effluent into the ocean each day, there is no room for error. The final modules are complete and should have been released, but it appears that the lack of baseline information and independent monitoring will mean that there is effectively no way to even find out if a problem is developing in the marine environment. And of course many of the proposed mill’s impacts have never been assessed as the Tasmanian Government allowed Gunns to quit the RPDC process after the pulp mill was judged “critically non-compliant” and before many concerns could be addressed.”
Peter Cundall said, “I’ve never known such justified anger and frustration within a community. Everywhere I go I’m meeting people who feel betrayed by those elected to represent them in Government. Irrespective of which political decisions are made, this unpopular pulp mill will never go ahead. There are too many decent, enlightened, determined and courageous people who are totally opposed to it and will fight against it. They are ready to defend their families and lifestyle against this threat and they’ll never, never give in”.
“We will stand up with the Tasmanian community to ensure that their health and safety, the rivers and coastal waters that their children drink, fish and swim in and the air they breathe, is not polluted or threatened by this stinking innapropriate private project”, said Kim Booth, MP.
Peter Cundall, Jon Bryan from the Tasmanian Conservation Trust, Kim Booth MP, Lucy Landon-Lane of Pulp the Mill, and group spokesperson Dr Lisa Searle were available for interviews at Brady’s Lookout (West Tamar Highway) at 12 noon, Sunday 6th March.
Conservationist halt logging in the Styx Valley
Today eight conservationists have halted logging operations in coupe SX028C in the Styx Valley to highlight the urgent need for the State government and Forestry Tasmania to implement the moratorium.
“With only 8 days to go until the moratorium must be fully in place, Forestry Tasmania is continuing to re-open areas for logging in the iconic old-growth forests of the Styx Valley. This coupe, containing spectacular tall Eucalypt trees and a diverse rainforest understorey, has been re-opened within the last two weeks. A clear indication that Forestry Tasmania is not taking appropriate measures to ensure the March 15th deadline is met.” Said Miranda Gibson, spokesperson for Still Wild Still Threatened.
“We are calling on Lara Giddings and Bryan Green to ensure Forestry Tasmania takes immediate action to withdraw all logging operations from high conservation value forests by March 15th. The State government must honour their promise and commitment they have made to the Tasmanian community, by implementing this vital first step in the Statement of Principles.” said Miranda Gibson, spokesperson for Still Wild Still Threatened.
